I'm patient with crossword puzzles and the most impatient

The great hockey legend Brett Hull, known for his fiery spirit and unrelenting pursuit of victory, once confessed with humor and honesty: “I’m patient with crossword puzzles and the most impatient golfer.” In these words lies more than jest; they carry the revelation that patience and impatience live together within the same soul, each awakened by different trials. For man does not respond equally to all tasks. In some arenas, the mind is calm and enduring; in others, the heart burns with restlessness.

To be patient with crossword puzzles is to embrace the slow, methodical process of fitting words together, waiting for the right thought to arrive, enduring blank spaces until the answer reveals itself. Here Hull shows that in the realm of quiet mental challenge, he could dwell with composure. Such patience reflects the discipline of focus, the joy of unraveling mysteries letter by letter, clue by clue. It is the patience of the thinker, who sees the game as an opportunity to sharpen the mind rather than a burden to bear.

Yet in the same breath, he admits to being the most impatient golfer. For the green tests a different virtue: not the calm of the mind alone, but the stillness of body, the surrender of control, the tolerance of imperfection. Golf exposes the restless heart, demanding a patience that many great athletes struggle to summon. The ball refuses to obey, the swing falters, and frustration rises like a storm. Hull, fierce in spirit, who thrived on the swift intensity of hockey, found in golf the torment of waiting, of restraint, of submission to rhythm rather than force.

This duality is not unique to him, but to all mankind. History offers the tale of Alexander the Great, who showed extraordinary patience in strategy — waiting for years to build alliances, studying his enemies, and outmaneuvering them with brilliance. Yet he was deeply impatient in life itself, rushing to conquer the world before his youth had passed, driving himself into exhaustion and an early death. So too do we all carry patience and impatience, strengths and weaknesses revealed in different trials.

Hull’s words also remind us that greatness is not the absence of flaws, but the recognition of them. To admit one’s impatience is to show humility; to laugh at one’s own restlessness is to walk with wisdom. In this, his quote is more than humor — it is a teaching that each of us must learn where we are steady and where we falter. We must cherish the fields where our patience blooms, and cultivate strength in the places where our impatience blinds us.

The lesson is profound: patience is not universal, but situational. Each challenge demands a different kind of endurance. The key is not to despair at our weaknesses, but to recognize them and work to balance them. One may be patient in study but impatient in relationships; another patient in sports but restless in waiting upon life’s greater mysteries. Self-awareness is the soil in which virtue grows.

Therefore, O seekers of wisdom, hear Brett Hull’s confession as both humor and truth. You too will find that your soul is both calm and storm, both steady and restless. Do not condemn yourself for the storms, nor grow proud in the calms. Instead, strive to expand your patience beyond the puzzles that please you, and carry it into the battles that test you. For he who conquers his impatience wins a greater victory than he who conquers his rivals. This is the teaching of the ancients, passed now through the words of a modern champion.